Woman of the Hour movie storyline. In the 1970s Rodney Alcala went on a murder spree, luring women by posing as a photographer looking for models. Though already a registered sex offender and recently released from prison, he infamously appeared on The Dating Game, a show that introduced a set of three new bachelors each week, hidden from view as a woman asked them amusing questions before choosing a winner to go on an all-expenses-paid trip with her.
Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut uses this stranger-than-fiction story to examine the distressing dynamics of gender. In addition to directing, Kendrick also plays Sheryl, the struggling actor who decided to book an appearance on the show where she would have a chilling run-in with Alcala. While this confrontation serves as the spine of the film, we’re taken backward and forward through time, exploring Alcala’s murders, with a performance by Daniel Zovatto that captures the disquieting hubris of a man who knows he’s operating in a world too skewed to catch him.
Instead of dwelling on the gruesome details that often preoccupy true-crime tales, Kendrick uses the case to make an incisive statement on the way women are forced to navigate their encounters with men. In addition to being an intelligent metaphor for those uncomfortable nuances, Woman of the Hour also harbours a dark truth: when you’re confronted by the rage of men, the only way to make it out alive is to play the game.
Woman of the Hour is a 2023 American period crime drama film directed by Anna Kendrick in her directorial debut and written by Ian MacAllister McDonald. It is based on the life of serial killer Rodney Alcala, who in 1978 appeared on the television show The Dating Game in the midst of his murder spree. The film revolves around the events of the game show and stars Kendrick as contestant Cheryl Bradshaw. Woman of the Hour premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023.
Directed by: Anna Kendrick
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Tony Hale, Daniel Zovatto, Nicolette Robinson, Geoff Gustafson, Kathryn Gallagher, Dylan Schmid, Matty Finochio, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Jessie Fraser
Screenplay by: Ian MacAllister McDonald
Production Design by: Brent Thomas
Cinematography by: Zach Kuperstein
Film Editing by: Andy Canny, Lee Haugen
Costume Design by: Sekyiwa Wi-Afedzi, Brooke Wilcox
Set Decoration by: Zoe Jirik, Raquel Tarbet
Art Direction by: Cristina Bidagor, Shannon Grover, Theodore Zaleski
Music by: Dan Romber, Mike Tuccillo
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Netflix
Release Date: September 8, 2023 (TIFF)
Woman of the Hour, Woman of the Hour 2023, Anna Kendrick, Tony Hale, Daniel Zovatto, Nicolette Robinson, Geoff Gustafson, Kathryn Gallagher, Dylan Schmid, Matty Finochio, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Jessie Fraser
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